1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to protective gowns to be worn by patients in a medical environment such as a hospital, and more particularly to a disposable gown of this type formed of non-woven, synthetic plastic sheeting, the gown being double breasted to accommodate itself to the size of the patient and affording adequate coverage for the patient wearing the gown.
2. Status of Prior Art
In the environment of a hospital or other medical facility, it is common practice to supply a patient with a protective gown which, though providing adequate body coverage and preserving the patient's modesty, can be quickly put on or removed to facilitate medical examinations and other required procedures.
Thus a patient may enter a hospital for the purpose of undergoing minor surgery with a view to being discharged the same day. In the course of this day, the patient may be called upon to walk from one room to another to undergo various examinations or treatments, and at various times may be seated or asked to lie prone on an examination table. A patient gown suitable for these activities must at the very least provide some degree of warmth as well as adequate body coverage to preserve modesty and to act as a barrier against germs. In addition, the nature of this gown must be such that it fits the typical adult patient regardless of the patient's sex and size and can be put on or removed quickly and without difficulty.
In many hospitals, reusable patients' gowns are available which are fabricated of woven natural or synthetic materials such as cotton or polyester. When the gown is formed of woven fabrics, such as cotton, in order to avoid frayed edges and to prevent irritating the skin of the patient, sewn hems and finished borders are required, thereby adding to manufacturing costs. Such gowns are often not only ill fitting, but must be laundered and resterilized after each wearing, a requirement which adds substantially to the operating costs of a hospital.
Moreover, patients today are aware of many serious infectious diseases being treated in hospitals and other medical facilities, and the danger of cross-contamination. Patients, therefore, are understandably reluctant to don a gown that may have been used previously by a patient suffering from a serious disease, even though he may be assured by the hospital that the reusable gown is sterile and safe.
Also now available are disposable medical gowns, such as those disclosed in the Benevento et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,499 and the Lunt U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,719, which are made of non-woven, synthetic plastic fabrics and can be discarded after a single use. But such known gowns do not fully satisfy the requirements for a medical gown which can be easily put on by a patient or removed. Thus the nature of the medical cover gown disclosed in the above-identified Lunt patent is such that it must be slipped over the head of the wearer. It cannot simply be put on in the manner of a conventional gown by insertion of the arms of the wearer into the sleeves of the gown.